Avila Therapeutics Inc.

As much as anti-hepatitis C drug telaprevir is leading the way, it has also defined what is going to be needed in a best-in-class molecule, according to the founders of Avila Therapeutics Inc. Avila's platform technology creates highly selective drugs that bond covalently to receptors, effectively silencing them and overcoming resistance mechanisms for the day or two the targets live. The Waltham, MA, biotech is the only company currently focused on covalent drugs, the company believes.